ripson



(No Model.) 2 Sheets'Sheet 1.

. 'J. D. RI N. BURIAL 0 T.

No. 420,920. Patented Feb. 4, 1890.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. DIRIPSON.

BURIAL GASKET.

Patented Feb. 4 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN DANFORTH RIPSON, OF SUSPENSION BRIDGE, NEW YORK, AS'SIGNOR OFONE-HALF TO WILLIAM A. FRAZER, OF SAME PLACE.

BURlAL-CASKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 420,920, dated February4, 1890.

Original application filed July 30, 1889, Serial No. 319,195. Dividedand this application filed December 28, 1889. Serial No.

335,212. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN D. RIPSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Suspension Bridge, in the county of Niagara and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burial-Caskets; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others I0skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in burial-caskets, and is largelyan improvement on what is shown in the patent granted me July 30, 1889,No. 407,792. In that patent provision is made for the movement in agenerally horizontal plane of the sliding panel or lid and glassface-plate over the face-opening without depressing either. In this caseprovision is made for the automatic movement of the panel and glass,either or both,

' when the detent or detents which holds one or both closed have beenreleased. There is also a further improvement in the construction of thedetent or springs that hold the panel and glass closed; alsoanimprovement in the combination of the movable panel and the movableglass face-plate. These and many other points of improvement will be 50fully pointed out in the description and need not now be recited anymore in detail.

As the invention relates more particularly to the points or features inthe casket lid or cover, it is not necessary to fully illustrate 3 5other parts in all the figures in the drawings. In the accompanyingdrawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate correspondingparts, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a burial-casketembodying the invention. Fig. 2 represents a reversed perspective viewof the lid. Fig. 3 represents a central longitudinal section of the lidor cover and casket. Fig. 4 represents a transverse section of the sameon the line 00 x of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a sectional detail of thelid or cover, showing the spring catches or detents for holding thepanel and glass face-plate closed. Fig. 6 is a detail view showing amodification of the construcignates a casket lid or cover of usualconstruction, except in the matters and invention which will now bedescribed. It is provided with the face-opening a and the longitudinalgrooveways a a for the glass faceplate and sliding panel, respectively.The

top part A of the lid, (see dotted lines Fig. 1,) by which term Iinclude also the head and foot panels of the lid, is preferably of sheetmetal or other thin material.

B is the sliding head-panel with its side and front edges resting in thegrooveways a made for its accommodation. The said panel has on itssurface centrally below its front edge a catch 1), made in any suitableway. The rear or inner edge of the panel is bent 7o downward to form aflange b, and the panel is preferably made of similar sheet metal tothat constituting the head and foot portions of the lid.

0 is a leaf-spring seated and secured in a '7 5 central recess 0,extending from the front edge of the face-opening a. The said spring ispreferably bent into a semicircular curve at its middle portion, and hasits lower leg secured within the recess, while from its upper leg risesthe press-button c, the stem of which passes out of the recess a, thecovering of cloth or other suitable material hiding the recess, so thatnothing but the head of the button is seen from the outside. free end 0of the upper leg of the spring is bent first upward and then downward toform a shoulder 0 adapted to engage with the shoulder 11 and retain thesliding panel closed.

The spring D, preferably of elastic rubber o cloth, connects the rearedge of the sliding panel and the rear or foot end of the lid, whichspring is extended when the panel is closed over the face-opening, andthe spring 0 engages the catch 17.

E is a transverse stop block or buifer, preferably of soft rubber,situated a suitable distance from the foot or rear end of the casket-The lid and held in place by any suitable support, substantially asshown. The said buffer receives the impact of the fiange Z) of thesliding panel when it is released, and thus noise and jar are prevented;but if there were no flange 011 the panel both glass and panel would,when released, strike against the buffer.

The glass face-plate F is situated below the sliding panel and slides inthe grooveways ct. It is provided near its front edge with a catch j,which is adapted to engage a spring G, similar in all respects to thespring 0, and secured in a recess in the lid in a similar manner, aswill be hereinafter more fully explained.

The spring II, preferably of elastic rubber cloth, connects the rearedge of the glass faceplate and the rear or foot end of the lid anddraws inward-that is, opens the said plate when it is released from itsdetent or catch. The rear or inner edge of the glass plate, strikingagainst the soft material 6 or buffer inside the flange b of the panel,prevents any noise or jar when the plate is retracted. The under side ofthe lid below the rubber springs is preferably covered with cloth toprevent said springs from sagging when the panel and glass have beendrawn back and the face opening in the lid is thus at any timenecessarily uncovered.

The sprin s G and G may be secured in different recesses situated sideby side, or one above the other and having separate press-buttons; butthe spring G is preferably bent more acutely than the spring 1, securedwithin the same recess by the same means, and has its upper leg belowthe upper leg of the spring 0, so that by pressing lightly on the button0 the sliding panel only will be released, while by pressing the buttonfarther down the depending lug or pin K on the upper leg of the spring 0will press down the upper leg of the spring G and release thedetent-block f of the glass plate without the upper spring bindingthereon.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 of these springs, 850., there aresome merely mechanical changes in their adaptation and ad justment, andthe pin K has been placed on the spring G, but the construction issubstantially similar and the results attained the same.

Instead of the detent or catch block near the front end of the panel andface-plate, a hole will answer, and may in many instances be moredesirable than the detent-block.

The many and obvious ad vantages of this invention need not be hereenumerated further than to say that all noise, delay, or trouble inexposing the face of the deceased or allowing access to it when desiredare avoided, and that a casket made according to my invention is muchmore convenient for all its necessary purposes than any other with whichI am acquainted.

In my application for patent filed July 30,

1889, Serial No. 319,195, of which this is a di vision, I have morefully described the peculiar uses and advantages of the flange I), andmade suitable and broad claim to cover said flange.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In a burial-easket, asdescribed, a sliding panel, combined with a detent or catch and spring,whereby it may when released from the catch be automatically caused toslide away from the face-opening, substantially as specified.

2. In combination with a burial-casket, as described, a sliding glassface -plate and spring and catch or detent in connection therewith,substantially as set forth, whereby on release of the detent the glassautomatically slides away from the face-opening.

In combination with a burial-casket, as described, a sliding panel andglass to cover the face-opening and springs and detents operating inconnection with said panel and glass, whereby when the panel and glassare released from said detent said panel and glass will be automaticallydrawn back from the face-opening by said spring, substantially in themanner and for the purposes set forth.

at. The combination of the panel, the glass faee-l'ilate, the catch, thespring, and the bufffer, substantially in the manner and for thepurposes set forth.

5. The combination of the panel having flange Z) and elastic material onthe inner side of it, with the glass face-plate and elastic,substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. In a burial-casket, substantizilly as described, the combination,with the lid of the sliding panel and the sliding glass face-plate, eachprovided with a catch or detent on its under surface below the frontedge, of the spring secured in a recess in the lid engaging thecatch-block on the sliding panel and provided with a depending lug, andthe spring secured within the former spring in the recess engaging thecatch-block on the glass plate and having its upper leg in such relativeposition to the upper leg of the panelspring that the latter can bedepressed a sufficient distance to release the panel without releasingthe glass face-plate, substantially as specified.

7. In a burial-casket, substantially as described, the combination ofthe lid, thetransverse rubber stop-block, the sliding panel, the slidingglass face-plate, the detents to hold said panel and glass face-plateclosed, and the springs retracting or drawing inward the said panel andglass face-plate, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN DANhOlt'lII RIISON.

Witnesses:

Finn) G. Snnmrtron, ln'rnn Lnsnna.

